Iran’s Lead Nuclear Negotiator Quietly Visits Russia

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri-Kani has paid an unannounced visit to Russia after Tehran-Washington proximity talks in Doha ended with no results. 

The news of the trip to Moscow was released by the twitter account of the Russian permanent mission to the international organizations in Vienna Friday night, but not covered in Iran’s state media. 

During his stay, Bagheri-Kani held a meeting with his counterpart Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov while Moscow’s lead negotiator Mikhail Ulyanov was also present in the session. 

Ulyanov described the meeting as “a very professional exchange of views” on the current situation around the nuclear deal (the JCPOA, Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) and prospects of the Vienna negotiations.

He called on the US to “demonstrate greater flexibility,” noting that his assessment is “despite all the difficulties, the nuclear deal still can be restored.”

Earlier in the week in Doha, Bagheri-Kani met Enrique Mora, the European Union official who chaired year-long talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the 2015 landmark deal.

On Friday, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo called on both the United States and the Islamic Republic “to quickly mobilize in the same spirit and commitment to resume cooperation under the JCPOA.”

Moreover, in a Thursday statement ahead of a Security Council meeting on the implementation of resolution 2231 that endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal, the UK, France and Germany called on Iran to stop and reverse its nuclear escalation, return to full cooperation with IAEA and seize the offer on the table without further delay.